He opened the back of the van and put you down on the floor. You scooted backwards, your tail bending so he could slam the doors quickly. You tossed the trident away from you, hearing the loud thud of it against the rough carpet. Your fingers hooked around the handles of the door and you pulled your body up to look out the small window. You couldn't fathom what you were seeing as the water disappeared and revealed levels of cliff, drop-offs, and the sandy floor bare and dry, other than the rain, which was pouring hard as your tears fell. 

Barley got in the van. He started it up, slamming his fist against the steering wheel when the car hesitated to start. He pulled away, sand spitting out of the back wheels and blocking your view of the ocean. You let yourself slip down the back of the car as your hands found your hair. You pulled at your wet hair. 

"Can you explain to me what's going on?" Barley shouted, looking behind him. 

"A group of merfolk attacked the kingdom," you explained, struggling to speak as your voice trembled. "I-I didn't know... I didn't know that they were even other merfolk. But they attacked us and they might've killed my parents. I don't know. Wade tried to take me somewhere safe but he was taken too. I don't if he..." You pressed your lips together. "And now they've taken the entire ocean. What am I going to do? I don't know anything."

"Later you can tell me about these merfolk," he said. "Maybe I've read up on them or something. I did know of your family before I even met you, remember?"

"Of course I remember," you said, gripping onto the door handle as Barley swerved onto the road. 

"But right now, I'm going to take you someplace safe," he said. 

"Like where, your house? And have me live in your bathtub? I don't even have legs."

"It's safer than staying on the beach," he said. "They were probably bringing the water in because they thought you'd come with it."

You swallowed hard. Barley was right. "They're going to wonder how I escaped," you breathed. You closed your eyes. "How... how were you there so fast? To save me, I mean."

"I saw the rain," he said, shrugging. "I knew that you probably weren't callin' me back because you wanted to hang out and ask about concerts again. I knew that it couldn't be good." The van came to a slow stop and he parked it. "Hang on." He got out and shut the door, and you were left in the silence. You moved away from the doors and opened them. 

He was there to scoop you out gently. "You're shaking," he said, and you nodded. "Let's get you inside and see what we can do."

"Wait," you said as he turned around. "The trident." You reached your hand for it, so he grabbed it for you and passed it over. You clutched the heavy weapon in your hands. As he walked up the short driveway, you looked around. 

Barley lived in a strange home. It was shaped oddly but vaguely resembled a plant. It was nothing like what your palace looked like. It took you a moment to realize that people in Barley's world didn't typically have palaces. What Barley had was a home. He struggled to open the door to it and stepped inside. You heard strange sounds; including the pattering of fast feet as a strange creature came barreling towards you.

"Blazey, no!" Barley warned, but the dragon was standing up on her hind legs, sniffing at your tail curiously. "Get back, girl!"

"Barley, you home already? What was ___---" You recognized Ian's voice as he stepped into the room, pulling earbuds out of his ears. "___?"

"Ian," you said, a faint smile ghosting your lips. 

"What in the world is going on here?" Ian questioned. "How --- why is she...? When---!"

"Ian, please go fill up the bathtub with warm water. Okay?" Barley asked. He shifted you in his arms. "I'll explain everything after we get her in there."

"A-Alright," Ian said. He shook his head but he didn't argue. He rushed up the steps, Blazey right at his heels. Blazey must've knocked a potted plant over or something, because a sudden shattering sound followed Ian's annoyed, "Blazey!"

You jumped at the sound, your arm tightening around the back of Barley's shoulders. He held you a bit closer and you were embarrassed as you glanced down at your lap instead of his eyes. "Hey, it's okay. Nothing is going to be able to hurt you here. I promise you."

"Thank you," you said softly. "For saving my life and for... for doing this for me."

"You're my best friend," he told you without taking his eyes off of your face. He started up the stairs. "We aren't going through anything without the other."

"Okay, I filled the tub up," Ian said, slipping out of the bathroom. "I don't know how you're going to explain this one to Mom."

"I don't either," Barley admitted, "but I'm gonna." He walked you into the bathroom and lowered you into the tub. "Here you go."

As you slipped into the warm water, you sighed in relief. You let yourself slide beneath the surface of it, covering every inch of your body. Your skin and scales felt much better despite the unfamiliar traits it had. It was strange water; no trace of salt in it. Still, you came back to the top and breathed in the air, smoothing your hands over your hair. You looked at Ian. "Thank you."

Ian shrugged in response, then looked at Barley, who was drying his hands with a towel his brother handed him. "What happened, guys?"

You told the story again, but you felt yourself get choked up as you told it. The reality was setting in that the ocean was gone. Your family was gone. Wade was gone. And now you were in a strange world. People wanted to kill you.

Barley was right there, on the edge of the tub, his hand on your shoulder even though he just dried off. He patted you encouragingly as you struggled to tell the story to Ian, who was horrified at the way you described the creatures and the encounter and the possible death of your parents and your friend. By the time you were finished, the water felt even colder than the ocean you typically swam in. Barley ran a little more warm water for you when you shivered.

"So what are we going to do?" 

"Nothing right now," Barley said. "I'm going to see what I can find out about these creatures. And then..."

"And then we're going to have to take me back to the ocean, because they're waiting on me," you said, throat thick with tears. "And if I don't show up, they're going to keep hurting my people. We both know it."

"Maybe that isn't true," Barley said. 

"Barley, they sucked the ocean into the Trenches. They did that because they didn't want me to escape!" You looked at him in disbelief. "I shouldn't have gone. Take me back---"

"Why?!" He grabbed your shoulders. "Slow down. If you go back, they'll kill you!"

"Well what do I do?" you cried, slinking back against the side of the tub. "I can't just sit here."

"Yes you can," Barley said. You looked at him and he leaned in close as he said with a loud voice, "Wade and your parents wanted you out of there. You did the right thing by calling for me so I could get you out of there. So you sit here and wait and I will bring everything that I can think of so we can read up on these merfolk and then we are going to figure this out together. You aren't doing any of this alone. Got it?"

"Okay," you whispered. 

And you must've looked like you were going to cry, because his face softened and he pulled you towards him and hugged you. "C'mere --- everything is going to be okay. I know you can get through this." And you started to cry as you soaked his t-shirt and held on tightly.

/ / / 

i'll have a longer chapter this weekend sorry this is so short